The Taste of Revenge
by Kristina463
Summary: A fiery former associate of Ziva's enters NCIS and turns the team's world upside down. She is clearly connected to the latest body lying in the morgue, but can she convince the members of NCIS to let her get away with murder?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** It's been a while since I've written any fanfiction, but I'd like to get back into it so any comments/thoughts/criticism would be much appreciated.

Chapter 1: Meet Arya

A slap to the head rudely jerked Tony out of his fantasies of an exotic paradise and back to reality.

"Sorry, Boss." he said automatically.

"Why don't you stop staring at the suspect and start interrogating her." said Gibbs.

"Really?" asked Tony incredulously.

"Clock is ticking." responded Gibbs, already on his way down the hall. "I want to know what this girl was doing in autopsy with our John Doe."

Tony took a deep breath. He looked through the tinted glass window into the interrogation room. It was specially designed so that Tony could see in and the suspect could not see out. So why was she smirking at him as though she could already sense his presence and his nerves?

….

Abby Sciuto was dancing around her lab with a sandwich while listening to a unique rock and roll song featuring a ukulele and what seemed like dolphin noises. Gibbs lamented her lack of taste in music but was impressed by her ability to keep her balance despite the monstrously clunky platform shoes on her feet.

"What have you got for me, Abbs?"

At the sound of Gibbs's gravelly voice, Abby responded with her usual perky enthusiasm.

"Well, I have an excellent deli sandwich that McGee got me for lunch. You can have a bite. It's turkey pastrami with extra spicy mustard. And it's weird that I like it because I normally hate spicy food. Like that one time when Tony convinced us that it was a good idea to order curry from that Indian take-out place – "

"I meant about the dead guy in autopsy and the live girl we found in there this morning." interrupted Gibbs.

"Oh, right. Well, I got nothing. I wouldn't exactly call it nothing, just an absence of evidence. As far as I can tell, the girl didn't touch anything but more likely she just got rid of her prints which means that she's guilty of something and is covering her tracks since an innocent person would never think to wipe their prints. We're just gonna have to hope that Ducky gets something useful from the body, but I'll check autopsy again in case I missed something."

"Keep looking."

"Of course, oh Great One."

Abby was the only person at NCIS who could say that and mean it completely.

"You know," began Abby, turning to talk to Gibbs. He had already disappeared. "I have to figure out how he does that." she said to herself.

…

Tony entered the interrogation room with strong, confident strides. He feigned nonchalance as he sat down opposite the suspect and reclined in his chair. Tony was attempting to project an aura of power, easygoing charm, and self-assurance. Arya surveyed him coolly.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but either way you will tell me the truth. Let's just make this as painless as possible. What were you doing in the NCIS autopsy room this morning?"

She said nothing but smirked at him slightly. Her eyes seemed to taunt him.

"Let me walk you through it." said Tony. "At about 05:00 hours, you deactivated the security cameras by causing a power surge. Then, you shot the guards with tranquilizer darts and stole one of their keycards to enter the building. Next, you went down to the autopsy room. What did you do there?"

"This sounds like an awful lot of conjecture to me." she said in a low, musical voice. "You have no proof of anything except for the fact that I somehow entered the Navy Yard this morning. You can't prove that I did anything wrong."

"Except for trespassing."

"Maybe I was looking for an agent so that I could report a crime involving a marine. Maybe I got a little bit lost and accidentally wandered into autopsy."

"And the guards just happened to be asleep at their posts, and the door just happened to be unlocked, is that it?"

"I'm so glad you see my point."

"Right." said Tony sarcastically. "So what were you here to report?"

"I went for a run at about four thirty this morning, and I saw a marine in uniform buying drugs on the corner of 8th Avenue and Fullerton Street. I figured I should let you guys know."

"What were you doing going for a run at four thirty in the morning?"

"I've always liked to get up early and work out. Exercising in the morning really jump starts your metabolism."

"Cut the crap." growled Tony. "We will find out exactly who you are and what you were doing here. Then, I will personally nail your ass."

She smirked, her red lips curving in a smile.

"What will you do to my ass?" she whispered huskily.

Tony breathed a sigh of relief when Gibbs tapped on the window. He was in way over his head with this one, but God she was hot. Tony went back to the observation room. The suspect was straight from one of Tony's fantasies (involving a dominatrix in black leather), but he could tell that if he got involved with her, he would never make it out alive.

"McGee." said Gibbs. "Your turn."

"Me, Boss?" questioned McGee nervously. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yeah," agreed Tony, "why are you sending _him_ in there?"

A withering glare from Gibbs shut Tony up and sent McGee scrambling to the interrogation room.

"Good luck, McGoo" mouthed Tony as McGee entered the interrogation room.

Gibbs headed back to Abby's lab. Something about this case did not sit right with him. On the way he called Ziva but there was no answer. She did come late occasionally, but not this late. Nevertheless, Gibbs wasn't worried. Ziva could take care of herself.

He smiled when he saw the bubble wrap that Abby had placed on the floor of the lab, no doubt in an effort to hear him coming.

"Tell me you have something."

"I do have something. I have lots of things but I assume you mean in relation to our case. I analyzed every single pair of rubber gloves in Ducky's garbage can, and I determined that one pair did not belong to Ducky or to Jimmy. These must have been the gloves that our mystery girl wore to avoid leaving any prints."

"Well what was she doing?"

"I'm not sure. Yet. But I will know soon, I promise. I won't let you down."

….

Gibbs and Tony watched through the glass as the subject stood up to better get a read on McGee and began walking towards him. He stood his ground as she leaned up close and surveyed his face with her head cocked thoughtfully to the side. She then murmured something in his ear that made him blush as she pressed herself against him.

"Poor McGoo is getting eaten alive." laughed Tony.

"Jealous?" smirked Gibbs.

"No." managed Tony. "So," he added hastily, "any word from Ziva?"

"Not yet, but she'll be here as soon as she can."

….

"Have a seat." McGee managed finally.

She obliged.

"So why exactly are you still holding me? You have no concrete proof of anything."

"Our forensic scientist is checking the autopsy room for evidence of what you did there. As for now, we can only hold you for trespassing.

"Then fine me for trespassing and get this over with."

"Not a chance. We can't let you go until we find out exactly what you were doing here. You could be anyone. For all we know, you stole classified information. And you will tell me why you broke into NCIS."

"And why would I do that?" she asked coyly.

"You see," said McGee, "if you did steal classified information that could be considered espionage. All I have to do is whisper the word terrorist into my boss's ear, and all of a sudden you're locked away in a deep dark hole for the rest of your life. I really don't think you want that to happen."

Tony was impressed, but the girl laughed making McGee blanch.

"Gold star!" she said encouragingly. "No, don't look so upset, you were excellent. Points for creativity and dramatic effect. That was very good, Timmy. I can call you Timmy, right? Timothy is just too formal don't you think?"

"How do you know my name?"

"It says so right here on your badge."

She dangled McGee's badge tauntingly in front of him.

"Where did you get that? Give that back to me right now!"

With minor difficulty since she was handcuffed, Arya stuffed the badge down the front of her shirt.

"Come and get it." she purred, knowing that McGee would never dare.

"I'd be happy to." answered Tony, entering the room.

"I bet you would."

"You're done McGee." said Tony. "It's the boss's turn."

"Oooh. Sending in the big guns now, aren't we?"

Tony and McGee watched from observation as Gibbs sat down in front of the suspect. They were taking bets as to which interrogation technique Gibbs would use.

He leaned in close to her face.

"Right now, my Medical Examiner is examining every inch of the body in autopsy and he will find out what you did to it."

Gibb's whisper was more threatening than if he had raised his voice.

"We found the rubber gloves you used to deal with the body. It's only a matter of time before we know everything."

She laughed softly, but Gibbs could see the flash of pain in her eyes.

"I have no doubt about that. You'll know everything when I decide it's time."

There was a knock at the door. Abby tentatively stuck her head in.

"I have something Gibbs." she said.

Gibbs stood up and made his way to the door.

"This isn't over." he whispered before he left.

"Not yet." she said with a wink.

From the observation room, Tony let out a groan. He put his hands in his suit pockets and leaned back against the wall.

"It's that thing that she does with her eyes. I can't take it."

"What? Blinking?"

"No, Mc-Clueless. It's the sexy, smoldering thing. Like Lauren Bacall in _Young Man with a Horn_."

Tony spun around at the sound of a chuckle coming from behind him.

"And who is this girl that has you all in a dizzy? asked Ziva.

"It's a tizzy, Ziva." corrected McGee.

"And it's irrelevant." added Tony. "More importantly, why are you an hour late to work?"

"Traffic accident." huffed Ziva. "You Americans don't know how to drive."

"Again?" wondered McGee in disbelief. "I'm surprised your insurance still covers you."

"Be quiet." snapped Ziva. "So what girl is this? The one in interrogation? Let's have a look."

Ziva peered in through the window and stepped back in surprise. Ignoring Tony and McGee's questioning stares, she entered the room.

"Arya? Ma pitom?" she asked in Hebrew. (Arya? What the heck?)

"Ziva? Be'emet zeh aht?" was the incredulous reply. (Ziva? Is it really you?)

"Yes." said Ziva, switching to English. "I work for NCIS now. I have left Israel and my father far behind."

"At least you have one," said Arya wistfully, "and he loves you more than you know."

Arya paused for a moment while Ziva stared at her searchingly.

"Ziva, I won't hold it against you for doing your job. Do what you have to do. Just know, when you dig through the dirt of the past, you might not like what you find."

"I don't suppose you will tell me why you're here?"

"All in good time, my friend, all in good time."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In Pursuit of the Truth

"I think a campfire is in order." declared Tony.

For once, Gibbs agreed with him. The team assembled in Abby's lab. Everyone stood around her computer, curious about where the case was headed. Except for Ziva. All she felt was dread. There was no way this could end well.

"What do we know so far?" asked Gibbs.

"This girl," Abby began.

"Arya." interjected Tony.

"This girl Arya snuck into the building by deactivating the security cameras, tranquilizing the guards, and stealing their keycards. She could have gone almost anywhere in the building, but where does she go? Autopsy. Why? I have an idea. I found residue on the gloves she used to handle our John Doe in there. There were traces of stainless steel on the fingertips of the gloves, which along with a puncture mark Ducky found, leads me to believe that she removed the tip of a needle that had broken off into his skin. At least I think she did. I couldn't find the piece of the needle, but that's my best guess."

"Why would she have injected him with a needle in the first place?" wondered McGee.

"To kill him." stated Ziva flatly. "That's what she does."

"How do you know that?" questioned Gibbs.

"We worked together for a year."

"Explain yourself."

"Well, back when I was part of Mossad, I was part of a unit that carried out hits that had to be done quietly and out of the public eye. One day, my father got a phone call from someone within the CIA. I don't know who it was, but he told my father that the CIA was sending him an unofficial present. A few minutes later, Arya walked in through the door. Whoever sent her was her personal handler, and he owed my father a favor. He thought that he could use Arya to pay it off."

"I'll bet." snorted Tony.

Gibbs slapped the back of Tony's head and received a mumbled apology.

"Your mind frightens me." said Ziva, giving Tony a dirty look.

"Why do you say her name with an accent?" inquired McGee.

"She never told us her real name, so we gave her the nickname Arya. It means lioness in Hebrew, and it seemed fitting because she moves like a cat and has great night vision."

"Why did you trust her enough to work with her?" Gibbs wondered. "You had no idea who she was, yet you trusted her with your life?"

"We didn't at first, but as long as she was sent to us we figured we could use her. After a while she proved herself. I don't know how she got involved with the CIA, but she felt no loyalty for them. The Americans helped train her and they paid her well for her services so she worked for them. But we knew she wouldn't go spilling any of our secrets to the CIA. She didn't trust the CIA any more than we did."

"Do you think there's a connection between this case and the jobs you did together?" guessed McGee.

"No. She was genuinely surprised to see me."

"I'll call in a favor from a buddy of mine at the CIA." offered Tony. "Maybe he can find out some information about our girl."

"First, focus on the body." ordered Gibbs. "What was she doing here?"

"Cleaning up loose ends." decided Tony. "She wanted John Doe dead, so she injected him with poison. After all, it is a common weapon of choice for women. She got sloppy or was interrupted in the middle, so she ran and couldn't do anything about the needle tip that had broken off in his arm. Then, she followed the body and came here to make the kill look like a natural death. Ducky was ready to say that he died of a heart attack. The only reason to think otherwise is our puncture wound and the metal residue. She almost got away with murder."

The room filled with the loud sound of beeping coming from Abby's computer.

"We have a match!" she exclaimed. "Our John Doe paid a lot of money to have his fingerprints scrubbed from the AFIS database, but he was no match for me. Everyone, meet Alec Dunham."

The face of a handsome man in his early twenties stared smugly at them. His perfectly styled brown hair, cold blue eyes, and proudly arched neck gave away his wealthy, privileged background.

"He was about to be found guilty for rape and murder except the judge suddenly "disappeared" and his replacement gave Dunham a much more lenient sentence. He paid reparations to the girl's family and only spent three years in a cushy prison cell. He should have been given a life sentence. What a sleazebag!"

"Maybe the killing was justified?" suggested Ziva. "It seems like Arya did the world a favor by getting rid of this guy."

"Vigilante justice is no excuse for killing another human being, no matter who he is." declared McGee.

"DiNozzo, try to find out more about Arya from your contact. McGee, I want to know everything there is about Dunham. Ziva, you're with me." Gibbs gave the team their marching orders and everyone set off to accomplish their various tasks.

"What about me?" asked Abby.

"Good work." he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek and a Caff-Pow.

Ziva and Gibbs headed to their desks with Ducky in tow. Arya was difficult to read, and Gibbs could tell that something was off about her. He was hoping that Ducky could provide some insight into her psychological profile.

"All of her promiscuity is just an act." declared Ducky after watching the previous interrogation tapes. "She is trying to compensate for her fear of her own sexuality."

"No way." frowned Tony, who had been eavesdropping from his desk. "She was totally into me. That was real."

"I am sorry, Anthony, but I'm afraid you are mistaken."

"I don't believe this." Tony gasped with horror. "How could she not be susceptible to the DiNozzo charm?"

Ducky held back a chuckle. "I am afraid, my dear boy, that you just aren't her type."

"Get back to work DiNozzo." ordered Gibbs.

"Right away, Boss."

"Hey Boss," called McGee. "I haven't found anything useful on Dunham yet, but I think I found something about Arya. Just on a hunch I searched through all of the employment records for restaurants in the area, and I found one Arya Ramirez listed as a waitress at Pat's Dinner."

"Why would you even have thought of that?" asked Tony. "Of all the things to look for, why would you think she had a job as a waitress?"

"She looked so familiar, and I couldn't place her until just now. A few weeks ago I was in Naperville at an antique store. I stopped at the dinner on the way home to pick up some diner. Arya was the one who processed my order."

"What are you waiting for?" barked Gibbs. "Grab your gear."

Gibbs and Ziva headed off with McGee and Tony in tow.

"What are you doing, DiNozzo? Don't you have a phone call to make to the CIA? Get back to your desk."

"Right away, Boss." responded Tony dejectedly.

He returned to his desk and tried unsuccessfully to reach his contact. Some people got to leave the office and have all the fun while he was stuck indoors. With a sigh, Tony crumpled up a piece of paper on his desk and shot it into the garbage can.

"Nice shot." said a voice from behind him.

Tony yelped and spun around in his chair. Arya was standing right there.

"What the -? How did you?" he spluttered.

"You know, a girl sometimes needs a bathroom break, that's all. You can lock me back up now if you like."

"Let's go." declared Tony, not quite sure how to react to the situation.

He led Arya back to the interrogation room. He cleared his throat nervously.

"Uhhh, I need to pat you down to make sure you haven't taken anything while you've been out of this room."

She smirked at him, her eyes glinting mischievously.

"Go right ahead." she offered, spreading her arms wide.

Tony conducted the search as quickly as possible while still making sure that Arya had not hid anything on her person. He could not help inhaling a whiff of her exotic and enticing scent as he pat her down.

"Where is the rest of your team?" she asked.

Tony was unsure if he should tell her, but he figured it was better to talk than to let his mind drift to where it wanted to head.

"They're checking out Pat's Dinner. The boss must have gotten hungry for some pie."

"That was quick." said Arya admiringly. "Your computer geek sure knows his stuff. You guys are making good progress."

Tony had been watching Arya's reaction carefully. She had some kind of plan in place, and Tony was determined to figure out what exactly it was. He locked her back in the interrogation room and posted two guards outside her door so that she could not escape again. The phone on Tony's desk rang. Things were about to get interesting.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews so far. They totally made my day so keep them coming! ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Discoveries

Tony picked up the ringing phone on his desk and brought it to his ear.

"This is very special agent Anthony DiNozzo."

"Hello, Anthony." said the voice on the other line. "This is Andrew Reynolds from the CIA. We intercepted a message that you left for John Greaves earlier today about a former CIA asset of ours. What was the purpose of your inquiry? "

This was not the CIA agent Tony had been expecting to hear from. The call instantly sent his spidey senses tingling. What could Arya have done to elicit such a reaction from the CIA? Why did her name trigger such an intense response?

"Her name came up in connection to a case of ours." said Tony, coolly. "The son of a former marine was killed, and the father pushed to get NCIS to examine the body because the father suspected foul play. The kid was a real piece of work, and we think your girl was behind it."

"Why is she a suspect?" was the terse reply. "You don't even know her name. How could she have even crossed your radar? And how could you have known her affiliation with the CIA?"

"One of the members of my team used to work with her unofficially. She went by Arya at that time. Anyway, the NCIS agent recognized her distinctive signature on the body." Tony lied. "I made the call to John to see if he could pull anything up on her so we could find her and bring her in for interrogation. Why are _you_ involved at all? What did Arya do for you that you're so curious about her?"

"That's classified. What I can say is that your 'Arya' was involved in a covert experimental program, and she left unexpectedly a few years ago. We've been keeping an eye out for her ever since because she had access to sensitive information. We just want to make sure nothing falls into the wrong hands. Since Arya is involved in your case, the CIA will be taking over in the interest of national security."

"More like in the interest of covering your own asses." scoffed Tony. "You have no grounds to take over this case."

"We shall see." Reynolds responded coldly and hung up.

Since Reynolds was being such a jackass, there was no way Tony was going to tell him that they had Arya in custody. He wondered what her real name was and what sort of program she was involved in. Probably some type of super-secret ninja assassin training. Whatever was going on, Gibbs and the team would sort it out.

Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee pulled into the parking lot of Pat's Dinner, the car finally screeching to a halt. Gibbs and Ziva nonchalantly strode out of the vehicle, while McGee had to pause for a moment and remember to breathe.

"How on Earth were you given a driver's license?" he cried, his knuckles still while from gripping the armrest.

"I might have had to bully the driving instructor a little bit." admitted Ziva.

Gibbs merely smiled to himself. That was his Ziva. But what she lacked in knowledge of rules of the road, she more than made up for in her skills as an agent. Seeing Arya made Gibbs realize what Ziva could have become if she hadn't joined NCIS. He could sense in his gut that Arya's line of work had damaged how somehow, and Gibbs was glad that Ziva had gotten out of such a torturous field and into a somewhat better line of work where she had a family of agents to support her.

The jingling bell on top of the door announced Gibbs's arrival to the diner. Ziva and McGee followed closely behind.

"Table for three?" asked a cute waitress with long auburn hair.

"Yes, please." said McGee.

Gibbs promptly smacked him on the back of the head. The waitress looked startled.

"I'm sorry." McGee explained. "We're from NCIS and we want to speak to the manager about one of the employees of this diner." To Gibbs he added, "But they have such delicious pie. I just want a slice."

"Maybe that's not the best idea." said Ziva with a wink, patting McGee on the stomach.

"I am not fat!" he exclaimed.

"The manager's office is back there." interrupted the waitress, not sure whether to be amused or afraid of the team's antics.

"Thank you, Miss." replied McGee politely. Something about her shy smile made his heart skip a beat.

Since Gibbs was already on his way into the manager's office, Ziva took the liberty of smacking McGee in the head.

"You're drooling." she whispered.

"It's really just a sign of affection." insisted McGee to the waitress. "The head-slaps don't actually hurt."

"I see." she laughed.

Ziva and McGee quietly entered the office where Gibbs was already busy talking to the manager, an overweight man in his mid-thirties.

"She came in here looking for a job a few months ago." he was saying, pushing his curls out of his watery brown eyes. "I wasn't really hiring, but she was stunning so, you know, I gave her the job. Arya was a great investment, definitely great for business if you know what I mean. Last month I opened a club right next to the diner, and Arya was the bartender. Business is doing great, and I'm sure she had a lot to do with it. What sort of trouble is she mixed up in? Will she be able to keep working?"

"I'm afraid not." answered Ziva. "She is a suspect in a murder investigation. Do you recognize this man?"

Ziva slid a picture of Alec Dunham onto the manager's desk.

"Sure," he said. "Mr. Dunham used to come here all the time."

Gibbs and Ziva exchanged a look. There was something this guy was not saying. Gibbs went over and casually shut the office door while McGee obligingly took a step back. The manager grew uneasy and began sweating profusely.

"Whoa, hold on a minute. What's going on here?" he asked nervously.

"What else can you tell us about this Dunham?" asked Ziva, leaning across the desk.

"Nothing." cried the manager, "He was just a regular customer."

Ziva scowled and rolled up her sleeves.

"My agent here is not having a good day." said Gibbs, enjoying himself just a drop. "If I were you, I wouldn't want to make her angry. She's Middle Eastern, you know, and has quite a hot temper."

"Okay, okay." sighed the manager with a fearful glance a Ziva. "There is something you should know. This guy Dunham was really into one of the waitresses. His feelings weren't reciprocated, but Dunham was . . . very persistent. He would come in every day and ask her out or try to kiss her, but she kept turning him down."

"I wonder why." muttered Ziva sarcastically.

"Arya tried to discourage Dunham from hitting on this waitress, so there was definitely some animosity between them. That's all there is to say, I promise."

"What is the name of this waitress?" barked Ziva.

"Her name is Caroline. She's the cute redhead outside." responded the manager. "Now, I've told you everything. Are you happy?"

"Not in the slightest." growled Ziva. "Why didn't _you _do anything about Dunham?"

"He was one of my best customers." said the manager defensively. "I needed the business."

"Men." huffed Ziva, stomping out of the room. She slammed the door behind her, making the manager flinch.

"Is she always like that?" he asked McGee.

"Are you kidding? You got off lucky." McGee replied.

Gibbs just smiled to himself and left the office. McGee followed. The team saw Caroline standing behind the cash register and approached her.

"Can we ask you a few questions, ma'am?" inquired Gibbs

"Sure." she responded slowly, her Southern twang more pronounced in her nervousness. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, of course not." said Ziva gently. "We were just hoping that you could tell us about one of your customers. And we need to know about one of your coworkers, too."

"I guess that's fine. Who do you need to know about?"

"Alec Dunham and Arya Ramirez."

Caroline blanched but said nothing.

"Dunham is dead." said McGee. "We think that Arya did it, and we need your help to establish a motive."

If anyone, so far it seemed like Caroline was the only person with any motive to kill Dunham, but McGee didn't want to put Caroline on the spot so he kept the focus on Arya.

"It's kind of a long story." said Caroline, stalling.

"We got all the time you need." countered Gibbs.

"Fine." she sighed. "Here it goes."

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. I'm taking six A.P. classes this year, so my life is kind of insane. I promise Chapter 4 will be up soon. Let me know what you think of this one!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Caroline's Story

Author's Note: Just to avoid any confusion, this chapter is Caroline's flashback as she tells Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee about the first time she met Alec and Arya. It's told from first Alec's and then Caroline's point of view just to keep things interesting.

"We met here six months ago . . ." Caroline began as the memories flooded back.

Alec saw her and instantly knew he had to have her. Her rich auburn hair cascaded down her shoulders, hiding her face. She stood at the coffee machine, fumbling with the buttons while also trying to balance the empty carafe and a tray of hot food. Alec rose from his table where he had just finished breakfast and headed behind the counter of the dinner.

"Here, let me help you with that." he said as he approached her, well aware of the effect that his British accent had on girls.

"Thanks." she said, blushing self-consciously. "I guess I'm just a little nervous today. It's my first day on the job."

Her soft Southern drawl was even more than he had hoped for. Alec pressed the right buttons and guided her hand holding the carafe under the machine right before the coffee splattered everywhere. Caroline cursed inwardly. God, she couldn't even manage a simple coffee machine.

She giggled in embarrassment and blushed again sending a becoming tinge of pink to her creamy porcelain skin. Alec found it rather adorable. He met her warm green eyes with his mischievous blue ones.

"I'm Alec, by the way. You must be new to the diner. I come here almost every day, and I know I would recognize a face as pretty as yours if I had seen it before."

She smiled at the compliment and lowered her gaze shyly.

"I'm Caroline. And I am new."

"Well, welcome to Pat's Dinner. I expect I'll be seeing a lot of you in the future."

"Thanks for your help." answered Caroline, her Southern accent even more pronounced than usual. "Ummm . . . I'll be here if you want to drop by, ya know, for something to eat. I work every day from uhhhhhh . . . seven a.m. to seven p.m."

"Good to know." he winked. "I'll be sure to come by."

Again Caroline berated herself. Why did the presence of a cute guy have to utterly destroy her ability to speak? Ugh, she barely even remembered her work schedule.

Caroline worked the entire day until her shift ended at seven o'clock, just as the sun was setting. She was the only person in the dinner. As she was about to leave, Alec entered. He was still in the same suit he had been wearing that morning, though he had loosened his purple tie. Caroline imagined that was what he would look like coming home from work every day.

'Take it easy, girl.' she told herself. After all, they had only just met. But he was handsome, charming, and clearly wealthy. Of course, the British accent was also a plus.

"I was hoping I would catch you before you left." he began. "How would you like to have a cup of coffee with me? One that you didn't make yourself, that is."

Despite her attraction to him, something flashed in his eyes that sent off warning bells in Caroline's head. She didn't know why; he seemed perfectly nice and normal. But she had learned to trust her instincts.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." Caroline replied. "It's sweet of you to ask, though."

"Are you sure I can't change your mind?" he asked, stepping closer to her so that their faces were practically touching. "I'm told I can be very persuasive."

She stepped back, but there was nowhere to go except into the row of tables. He moved with her, blocking her path and cornering her against the wall. Her breath caught in her throat, and Caroline knew her instincts had been right. Alec could hear her heartbeat pounding rapidly. Her full, pink lips parted slightly, and nothing mattered but kissing them. Caroline froze, panicking. She could see the predatory look in his eyes, a look she recognized and never wanted to see again as long as she lived. This could not be happening. Not now, not to her. The dinner was empty. There was no one to cry out to for help.

Alec hadn't felt so alive in ages. He paused for a moment, savoring Caroline's fear. He gripped her neck with one hand, feeling her pulse skyrocket as he leaned in to kiss her. This was how it should be. He was a hunter doing what he did best. Alec felt invincible.

A cold steel blade pressed into his neck right at the jugular. Someone had him in an expert chokehold from behind. In his excitement, Alec had failed to hear the door of the dinner open.

"Get away from her or I'll slit your throat." hissed a low, melodious voice in his ear.

Alec could feel a soft, female form pressing into him. He tilted his head back and inhaled her intoxicating scent. This girl smelled like a delicious mixture of ginger and cinnamon. She threw him to the ground, pinning him down, and Alec had been too distracted by her scent to stop her. She kept the knife to his throat and lowered her face until it was inches away from his own. Her eyes were green like Caroline's but they were darker and fiery where Caroline had been only gentle. Pale, sweet Caroline was an angel while this dark, exotic creature was delightfully devilish. Alec's brain exploded at the possibility of having them both.

"You know," he began casually, "I generally like to be on top, but I think I'll make an exception in your case."

"You think you're so untouchable, you arrogant bastard? If you ever go near a girl again without her asking, I'll make you pay."

"Don't worry." countered Alec. "By the time I've finished with you I'll have you more than asking. I'll make you beg."

His cocky wink nearly sent her over the edge.

"You son of a bitch." she growled. "I should skewer you on the spot, but I'm working on my self-control so I'll let you go this once. Just this once."

She stood up and straightened out her leather jacket. From his vantage point on the floor, Alec couldn't help admiring the view provided by her tight jeans. Leather stiletto boots completed the ensemble. She gave off a sexy but unapproachable vibe that Alec saw as a challenge. And he hated to lose. Alec jumped to his feet.

"Catch you later, sweetheart."

The girl rolled her eyes and knelt next to Caroline who hadn't moved from her spot against the wall.

"You're safe now." she crooned. "I promise you he'll never hurt you."

"Thanks." Caroline managed, fighting back tears.

"Listen, I know what you're feeling." she said quietly. "Tell me, sweetie, who is he? Who's the one that really has you so afraid? I can help you."

"What are you saying?" asked Caroline. "How do you know?"

"Because," she paused, "Because it happened to me too. Tell me. Who is he? Who is it that hurt you?"

Caroline pressed her trembling fingers to her lips. She wanted to tell someone so badly.

"My dad." sobbed Caroline, "It was my dad. He would get that same look on his face when he was drunk and then he would hit me and my mom. Alec had the same eyes. I thought I had gotten away from it all a two years ago. I went off to college where I could be safe and left my mom alone with my dad. She was the one who wanted me to go in the first place, but it was so selfish of me to leave her. After a year and a half, my mom killed herself and it was my fault for not protecting her. That's why I came here. There was no money left for me to go to school and I needed to start over."

As hard as it was to say it, Caroline felt a wave of relief at being able to admit the truth. Arya looked at her with pitying eyes that had heard it all before.

"I'll take care of you, Caroline. And what happened to your mom wasn't your fault. Do you hear me? It was NOT your fault."

"What's your name?" asked Caroline after a long silence.

"I'm Arya."

"Why did you help me?"

Arya paused for a moment.

"I saw you were in trouble." she said finally. "That's what I do."

"I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"I still have a few minutes before my shift at the club starts. Let me drive you home. Where do you live?"

"I don't have an apartment yet." admitted Caroline. "I've actually been staying at a motel."

Arya insisted on taking Caroline back to her own place and told her she was welcome for as long as she needed to stay. Arya made sure that Caroline was protected, and Caroline in turn rescued Arya from the loneliness that had invaded her life. Though opposite in temperament, Arya and Caroline each provided the other with the friendship they both desperately needed.

"Arya saved me." said Caroline simply. "Not just on that night but every day since. We couldn't stop Alec from coming back here, but she always had my back. She gave me a home and made sure I was safe. I don't know if she killed Alec, but either way I'm glad he's dead. And there is no way I would ever say a word against her, so you cops can look somewhere else for your evidence."

Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee had no response. They thanked Caroline for her time and gave her their cards in a futile gesture to save the case. Arya clearly committed a murder but there was no proof, only loads of circumstantial evidence. The case was quickly falling apart and it seemed as though Arya was going to get away with murder, albeit the murder of a despicable man. They needed a lead. Arya had to pay for her crime, didn't she?

Author's note: How do you like it? Let me know. Any suggestions or critiques would be most appreciated!


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